Regulating school education

​​In Victoria, if you are aged 6–17 years, the law says you either need to be enrolled at school, or registered for home schooling. For most children, that means going to school.

With so many students to educate, our schools need to be well run. Quality schools come from good governance, strong financial management, an effective curriculum, sound teaching practices, and a safe environment for children.

All Victorian schools — government, catholic, and independent­­ — operate under the same legislative and regulatory requirements, primarily the Education and Training Reform Act 2006 and the Education and Training Reform Regulations 2017.

Register and review

Every school in Victoria must be registered with the VRQA. Registered schools need to meet minimum standards, which are contained in the Education and Training Reform Regulations 2017. These standards provide the foundation for quality schools.

We review registered independent schools periodically, to make sure the standards are being met. The Victorian Department of Education and Training, and the Catholic Education Commission of Victoria review government and catholic schools on our behalf and report to us annually on their schools' compliance.

Any organisation providing senior secondary education (Years 11 and 12) also falls within our scope, whether they operate in a school or non-school setting. For example, a TAFE institute must be registered by us to deliver the Victorian Certificate of Education (VCE) or the Victorian Certificate of Applied Learning (VCAL).

We also register schools that enrol overseas students, and have oversight of student exchange programs in Victoria.

Working with others

Our role complements those of other statutory bodies in Victoria. Together we work towards shaping Victoria's education and training sector.

The Victorian Curriculum and Assessment Authority provides high quality curriculum, assessment and reporting for all Victorian students. It also awards and issues the VCE and VCAL.

The Victorian Institute of Teaching registers teachers and regulates their profession.

The International Baccalaureate (IB) awards and issues the IB Diploma in Victoria.